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www.caff.org Fall 2007 Agrarian Advocate 1

C O M M U N I T Y A L L I A N C E W I T H F A M I L Y F A R M E R S

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Food Safety CampaignBy Kira Pascoe, Family Farm Food Safety Coordinator

In the last two issues of this newsletter we have included pieces on the current politics of food safety: Judith Redmond’s testimony to the Cali-fornia Legislature and Dave Runsten’s column. The following piece is an update on this constantly evolving process.

CAFF has created a Family Farm Food Safety Campaign to stand up for the rights of traditional fresh market farms—especially

those farms using biological and organic practices—to produce leafy greens and sell them to local distributors. Last year’s tragic spinach E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak led the leafy greens industry to write a set of rules that implements “Good Agricultural Practices” in order to reduce the risk of food contamination. These rules were designed by and for farmers that grow for the “fresh cut” (pre-cut, processed, bagged) salad industry and we find them inappropriate for many

farms that grow for the fresh market.While all farms should use safe farming practices, every link in

the farm to fork chain needs to be examined for possible contamina-tion opportunities. A 20-year study shows that produce-triggered outbreaks have occurred most commonly in restaurants, and almost half of these were caused by cross contamination from other foods during food preparation.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, processed bagged salad is apparently at high risk for food contamination. This is because the ingredients are sourced from multiple farms and washed and packed in a centralized area, increasing the risk of food-borne

Connecting Bay Area Institutions to Central Valley FarmersBy Aliza Wasserman

Chefs, institutional dining directors, family farmers, and sustainability

advocates gathered around tables talking about variability in fruit sizing, budget cuts to kitchen staff, and other chal-lenges to bringing produce from local family farms into institutional dining. It was the first Farm to Institution Connec-tion, held July 25 at a Bon Appetit Café perched on the Oakland hills overlook-ing a panoramic view of the Bay Area.

The goals of the event were to make connections, build excitement, share per-spectives, and demonstrate tangible pos-sibilities for institutions to purchase local food. As the ninety participants arrived, they mingled and meandered through farmers’ market-style stands displaying the summer’s bounty. Farmers from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys chatted about their growing practices, prices, and how best to cook their produce. Nibbling was mandatory.

The event was organized by CAFF and supported by the National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Educa-tion & Extension Service (grant #2006-55618-17015). The grant

provides funds for outreach and research by a statewide team that is interviewing farmers, students and institutional dining representatives to identify the market size and opportunities. Institutions—such as schools, colleges, hospitals, and corporate cafeterias spend nearly $70 billion on food procurement annually, making them the second largest sector—after restau-rants of the U.S. food service market. This sector has a large number of buyers and high volume needs and has already shown strong interest in purchasing local food. Translating this interest into a consistent reality is the challenge now.

That was the topic of the event’s Peer Learning Roundtables. Participants talked through the challenges, solutions and resources needed to help family farmers and buyers. Packaging expectations, sizing interest for each institution, ripeness level when picking, and administrative support were some of the missing pieces that could help farmers. Institutional buyers stressed the high costs of produce and labor, the need for educational materials for their customers,

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2 Agrarian Advocate Fall 2007 www.caff.org www.caff.org Fall 2007 Agrarian Advocate 3

Put Your Hoes Downby Dave Runsten, Executive Director

People have been holding farm festivals for as long as they have been farming, and California is no excep-

tion. Although some of the festivals outlived the local crops they celebrated (such as the San Leandro Cherry Festival and even the Gilroy Garlic Festival), these festivals are some of the few remaining tenuous links between farming and our increasingly urban state. There are spring festivals

to celebrate the end of winter dormancy (almond or apple blossom festivals) or the advent of spring crops (asparagus in Stockton, strawberries in Oxnard, artichokes in Castroville). And there are fall festivals to celebrate the harvest (apples in Springville, pumpkins in Half Moon Bay, avocados in Carpinteria). See the box on the next page for a more complete list of California festivals.

I have been thinking that we should pay more attention to these festivals—and to the county fairs. Their long tradition provides a ready-made opportunity to reach out to urban people, and especially to children, to interest them more in the farms around them. As writer/activist Jane Jacobs noted, all regions are city regions; the future of rural California and its agriculture will be determined in the cities.

In Yolo County, we have one of the premier California farm festivals actually held on a farm. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley will be held this year on October 6. Full Belly Farm is owned by Judith Redmond, CAFF’s Board President, and her partners Paul Muller, Dru Rivers, and Andrew Brait. The Hoes Down was dreamed up by Dru and her friends Annie Main and Sarah Atkinson as a way for urban consumers of farm-direct products to connect with the place where they were grown. From 150 people 20 years ago, the Festival now attracts some 5,000 enthusiastic participants. Staffed by 300 volunteers, the Festival is actually a fundraiser for youth programs and sustainable agriculture. CAFF and many other organizations receive generous annual donations from the Hoes Down.

I have been going to the Hoes Down almost since it started. I remember Wavy Gravy and a pack of kids rolling a giant ball painted to look like Earth around a field. And that to me is the key to the success of the Festival: it is filled with activities for children. The buzz of child activity is just incredible: carving pumpkins that get lined up along the road and then lit when it’s dark; watching the cow be milked and then the milk turned into butter and ice cream; petting the goats; crawling through passages in a huge hay-bale fort; running around a crop maze; riding on horse-drawn wagons; listening to stories in a giant teepee; making all sorts of crafts out of farm products, such as dolls made of corn husks; watching the blacksmith at work; or seeing the sheep sheared and the wool cleaned, carded, spun, and woven on looms. For the adults there are tours and demonstrations, a shop selling beautiful wreaths, a farmers’ market, music, and delicious food.

The Full Belly farmers devote an enormous effort to the Hoes Down, and we should all be grateful to them for opening their farm every year for this festive and educational venture. I recommend it to anyone who is within driving distance and especially to families with small children. More information can be found at www.hoesdown.org.

To the extent that some of the other food festivals in California could make this direct connection to farming and rural culture, we would be doing the society a great favor. When you grow up in an urban area, food comes from the store or restaurant and farming is an abstract concept. If farming is to survive in California, we will have to provide more direct connections between urban and rural areas and teach children to value agriculture.

Cultivating healthy farms, food & communities

PO Box 363, Davis, CA 95617(530) 756-8518 Fax: (530) 756-7857

Web site: www.caff.org

Mission: CAFF is building a movement of rural and urban people to foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies and promotes social justice.

The Agrarian Advocate/Farmer to Farmer is the quarterly publication of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.

Agrarian: 1. Relating to land or to the ownership or division of land. 2. Of agriculture or farmers generally. [From the Latin ager: a field or country]

CAFF is a nonprofit membership organization. Members are part of an active, effective voice for CAFF’s mission. Benefits of mem-bership: subscription to this newsletter, voting privileges and timely updates on CAFF activities. Membership levels are: $20 Student, $50 Basic, $250 Gardener, $500 Tiller, $1,000 Steward.

CAFF encourages contributions of any size to support our work. Con-tributions to CAFF are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law.

Board of DirectorsJudith Redmond, Guinda, President

George Davis, Healdsburg, Vice PresidentDiane Del Signore, Oakland, Secretary

David Visher, Davis Treasurer

Michael Bosworth, Marysville • Erin Derden-Little, ArcataPaul Hain, Tres Pinos • Ken Kimes, Santa Cruz

Norman Kline, Riverbank • Cynthia Lashbrook, LivingstonPreston Maring, Oakland • Stephanie Jo Meckler, Los Angeles

Richard Molinar, Fresno • Carol Presley, Santa CruzPete Price, Sacramento • Stacey Sullivan, Berkeley

Sarah Warda, Delhi

CAFF ContactsBay Area OfficeTemra Costa, Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign . . (510) 832-4625

Central CoastSam Earnshaw, Regional Coordinator . . . . . . . (831) 722-5556Tim Galarneau, Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign . (831) 761-8507Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, Farm-to-School Coordinator . (831) 761-8507

HumboldtMichelle Wyler, Farm-to-School Coordinator . . . (707) 445-3166

Sacramento ValleyKristen Schroer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(530) 756-8518 x39

San Joaquin ValleyLuis Gallegos, Sustainable Cotton Project . . . . . (559) 259-1981

Davis OfficeDave Runsten, Executive Director . . . . . . .(530) 756-8518 x25Mark Cady, Biological Agriculture . . . . . . .(530) 756-8518 x20Liam Creighton, CFS Program Assistant . . . .(530) 756-8518 x39Anya Fernald, Community Food Systems . . .(530) 756-8518 x31Marcia Gibbs, Sustainable Cotton Project . . .(530) 756-8518 x34Heidi O’Guinn, Controller . . . . . . . . . . .(530) 756-8518 x19Joy Rowe, Membership Director . . . . . . . .(530) 756-8518 x17

CAFF grants permission for articles in the The Agrarian Advocate and Farmer to Farmer to be reproduced. Please credit CAFF for reproduced materials, and send us a copy.

Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joy Noelle PaloutzianAssociate Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Klara RiceDesign & Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timothy Rice

—Volume 28 Fall—

Copyright © 2007 Community Alliance with Family Farmers• Printed on 100% recycled paper •

CORNER

C•A•F•F


More Local Food Sources and Events

Festival Name Town County Dates in 2007 1st Year Website

FebruaryRiverside County Fair & National Date Festival Indio Riverside Feb 16-25 1947 www.datefest.orgAprilPlacer County Strawberry Festival Roseville Placer Apr 20-22 1990 www.strawberry-festival.comAvocado Festival Fallbrook San Diego Apr 27 1962 www.fallbrookca.org/chamberwebsite/Avofestpagetemplate.htmStockton Asparagus Festival Stockton San Joaquin Apr 27-29 1986 www.asparagusfest.comSebastopol Apple Blossom Festival Sebastopol Sonoma Apr 28-29 1947 www.sebastopolappleblossom.orgMayCastroville Artichoke Festival Castroville Monterey May 19-20 1959 www.artichoke-festival.orgCA Strawberry Festival Oxnard Ventura May 19-20 1984 www.strawberry-fest.orgJunePatterson Apricot Fiesta Patterson Stanislaus June 1-3 1971 www.patterson-ca.com/fiesta/fiesta1.htmSan Leandro Cherry Festival San Leandro Alameda June 9 1909 www.ci.san-leandro.ca.usJulyBrentwood Corn Fest Brentwood Contra Costa July 13-15 1990s www.brentwoodchamber.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=5CA Peach Festival Marysville Yuba July 20-21 1999 www.capeachfestival.comFirebaugh Cantaloupe Festival Firebaugh Fresno July 26-29 1948 www.ci.firebaugh.ca.usGilroy Garlic Festival Gilroy Santa Clara July 27-29 1979 www.gilroygarlicfestival.comPear Fair Courtland Sacramento July 29 1973 http://pearfair.comAugustFig Fest Fresno Fresno Aug 11 2004 www.vineyardfarmersmarket.com/Figfest07.htmGravenstein Apple Fair Sebastopol Sonoma Aug 11-12 1973 www.farmtrails.org/applefair.htmlSeptemberLemon Fest Ventura Ventura Sept 8-9 2001 www.lemonfest.comTracy Dry Bean Festival Tracy San Joaquin Sept 8-9 1987 tracychamber.org/dry-bean-festival.htmlCarmel Tomato Fest Carmel Monterey Sept 16 1992 www.tomatofest.comKelseyville Pear Festival Kelseyville Lake Sept 29 1993 www.pearfestival.comOctoberCA Avocado Festival Carpenteria Santa Barbara Oct 5-7 1986 www.avofest.comLoomis Eggplant Festival Loomis Placer Oct 6 1988 www.loomischamber.com/eggplant.aspHoes Down Harvest Festival Guinda Yolo Oct 6-7 1988 www.hoesdown.orgHalf Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival Half Moon Bay San Mateo Oct 13-14 1971 www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/index.htmlSpringville Apple Festival Springville Tulare Oct 20-21 1981 www.springville.ca.us/applefest/index.htmlCA Lemon Festival Goleta Santa Barbara Oct 20-21 1992 www.lemonfestival.comNovember

Mountain Mandarin Festival Auburn Placer Nov 17-18 1994 www.mandarinfestival.com

California Farm Festivals

These Sonoma County businesses and events were inadvertently left out of the Greater Bay Area Local Food Guide (available at www.buylocalca.org).

• Bodega Goat Cheese (707-263-8131) makes several kinds of goat cheese—including queso fresco, queso crema, queso cabrero, queso casero, and requeson—in the Peruvian tradition.

• Bloomfield Bees Honey (www.bloomfieldbeeshoney.com) produces several types of honey raised without chemicals, plus other honey and beeswax products.

• Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market (www.sonomamarket.com) are independent groceries that offer numer-ous wines, cheeses and produce—much of it locally grown.

• Wild Hog Vineyard (www.wildhogvineyard.com) is a small, family owned and operated winery and vineyard in the hills between Cazadero and Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast. They produce Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

Buy Fresh, Buy Local Events• Sonoma: September 29 & 30—Weekend along Farm Trails• Solano: August 26, Sept. 23 & Oct. 21—Suisun Valley’s 2nd Annual

Fun Family Farm Days (www.suisunvalley.com)• Contra Costa: Saturday, Sept. 22—Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust

(BALT) Annual Fundraiser. For more information and to get tickets, please contact Teri Sandholdt at (925) 634-6738 or go to www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/4353

• San Francisco: Sunday, Sept. 30 – Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) fifth annual Sunday Supper fundraiser. For tickets go to http://cuesa.org/events/sunday_supper_2007.php

• Alameda: Saturday, Oct. 27-Food Quake II: What We Eat Now.For more complete information and to enroll, please visit www.unex.berkeley.edu/cat/course1177.html or call (510) 642-4111.


CAFF North Coast Chapter UpdateBy Terry Harrison

Policy issues have taken up lots of time and energy in CAFF’s North Coast Chapter this year. Sonoma County has been work-

ing on a revised General Plan for over five years, a process culminating with Board of Supervisors hearings in August. Positions we have been advocating include:

• The same protection for small farms near urban areas that agriculture enjoys in the three ag zones further out. We have members farming in those mixed zones. This issue has been deleted from drafts of the plan and we will have to work hard to try and get it back in.

• New recognition for sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture and farm stays are currently in the plan.

To convince the Supervisors of the importance of small farms in the county, we are re-doing a survey of our members, along with Sonoma County Farm Trails, who will survey their members.

We are active in the Sonoma County Water Coalition, made up of 30 organizations with over 27,000 members. The Sonoma County Water Agency seems bent on as many capital-intensive big pipeline projects as possible, including moving waste water around the county for irrigation. While we strongly support water re-use, these projects seem ill advised. The goal of the Water Agency is to sign up farmers to

use the waste water in exchange for giving up their existing rights for Russian River water, in order to increase the supply of that water for development. The Water Agency doesn’t even own the waste water it proposes pumping north to farmers. Santa Rosa does own it and may not give it up to the Agency. There is also the question of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that remain in the tertiary-treated water and its possible effect on the Russian River and irrigated crops. Some of these materials have an adverse effect on fish at one-tenth the level that they impact humans.

Water agencies must do an Urban Water Management Plan periodically, and last November the Sonoma County Water Agency came out with an update. The Water Coalition decided to take legal action against the Water Agency for glaring deficiencies in the plan. The Coalition believes the supplies projected are overly optimistic and based on insufficient data. The groundwater in the county needs to be thoroughly mapped and neither the county nor the Corps of Engi-neers knows how fast Lake Sonoma (the biggest reservoir) is filling in. The CAFF Board supported our participation in this legal action. The first court date for procedural matters was July 31. The importance

and the lack of options from conventional distributors. Many institutional buyers were delighted to learn about existing distribu-tors that deliver local food—such as ALBA Organics and CAFF’s own Growers Collaborative.

A panel presentation addressed problems of conventional sourcing and the solutions employed in leading local food programs. Michael Dimock, executive director of the sustainable agriculture nonprofit organization Roots of Change, started the panel by pointing out that guiding principles in today’s national food system are centralization, industrialization, and externalized costs. “The cost of a fast food meal does not include the health care impacts, the downstream costs to our whole society… The system lacks the feedback loops we find in natural systems that allow a continuous adjustment and modulation of activity,” Dimock said. He reviewed his organization’s commitment to support the farm-to-institution arena and noted that watching businesses and farmers getting together at “today’s gathering indicates we are choosing the right path.”

Next on the panel was Kaiser Permanente food and nutrition services manager Elizabeth Bailey. She spoke about the hospital’s food policy commitment to health, sustainability and working with local farms through a partnership with the Growers Collaborative. To address the occasional challenge that occurs when local produce varies in shape, size or color from conventionally procured goods, Kaiser communicates the program to patients so they stay excited about the program. Admin-istrators communicate back to the Growers Collaborative to help the farmers meet expectations. For garnering internal support to expand the

program, Bailey stressed the power of favorable media—such as a San Francisco Chronicle article titled “Chez Kaiser”—and patients’ strong satisfaction with the taste of the local produce.

“For us, it’s all about freshness,” began Lisa McEuen, regional vice president of Bon Appetit Management Company. Lisa pro-ceeded to explain how her company encourages chefs at each site to buy from local sustainable farms to optimize the flavor and invest in communities and sustainable practices. The company’s Farm to Fork vendor program and Low Carbon Diet are efforts to buy seasonal produce from within a 150-mile radius of each café. To help chefs and customers find local farms, they recently launched a website (www.CircleOfResponsibility.org) that discusses the values behind supporting local sustainable agriculture. The website directs people to local farmers’ markets and relays epicurean features unique to each region.

For the Oakland meeting the Bon Appetit chefs prepared a seasonal menu with produce donated from farmers of the Growers Collabora-tive. Resource packets were distributed, including Tips for Institutional Buyers, the Growers Collaborative availability list, a Guide to Asian Specialty Produce, About ALBA Organics, resources for hospitals, and further information about the sponsoring grant project.

The event ended with a stroll through the farmers’ market, business card swapping, and a dash to the agua fresca (from Rodriguez Ranch) and horchata (from Rue & Forsman Ranch) bar. Participants departed with arms full of samples and a gratifying sense they were all part of moving the local food movement into the realm of the tangible.

For more information about the research project or CAFF’s out-reach efforts, contact Aliza Wasserman at [email protected].

North Coast continued on page 8

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Highlight on Sonoma CountyBy Temra Costa & Anya Fernald

Plug in “Sonoma County” to the searchable online Local Food Guide (www.buylocalca.org) and it’s no surprise that over sev-

enty entries appear—from growers to retailers to farmers’ markets. Unique microclimates and rich soils have made Sonoma County a preeminent Bay Area agricultural region, with nearly 3,500 farming operations, 800 of which are small-scale producers growing specialty crops. Farmed by successive waves of Spanish, Mexican, Italian, German, and Greek immigrants over the past two centuries, Sonoma County boasts a unique diversity of agricultural prod-ucts, ranging from fruits and vegetables to wine, cheese and meat products, particularly poultry. Early agriculture in Sonoma County centered on plum production, eventually transitioning to hops and then Gravenstein apples. Today, vineyards dominate the landscape. American Viticulture Areas (similar to appellations) in the county include Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma County Green Valley, Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Los Carneros, and Alexander Valley.

In addition to the wealth of products found in Sonoma County, there are many local proactive organizations helping to preserve farmland and open space. CAFF’s North Coast Chapter, California FarmLink, Greenbelt Alliance, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Slow Food, Sonoma County Farm Trails, Sonoma County Coopera-tive Extension, and Sonoma Land Trust are a few of the organizations working to preserve agriculture and a sense of place within the county.

The dedication of these organizations, bolstered by widespread com-munity engagement, has led to the vibrant state of agriculture and the extensive open space still enjoyed in the county today. By approv-ing Measure F, the “Open Space Sales Tax” implemented in 1990 and extended in 2006, the County’s voters allowed for millions of dollars in tax revenue to be allocated annually to the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (www.sonomaopenspace.org) for the preservation of agricultural land, natural resources and open space. These efforts are supported and complemented by Sonoma Land Trust (www.sonomalandtrust.org), which has preserved over 17,000 acres of land since 1976. The model of forging nonprofit and public partnerships—and supporting their land preservation efforts by capturing sales tax—holds immense potential for good land use policies and a flourishing agricultural economy.

Another Sonoma County nonprofit that actively engages the com-munity is Sonoma Farm Trails (www.farmtrails.org). They have linked area farms with residents and visitors since 1973 by publishing an annual Farm Trails Map and organizing Sebastopol’s Gravenstein Fair and other on-farm events. Farm Trails’ focus on strengthening con-nections between urban and rural residents continues to be a resonant strategy in revitalizing local agricultural economies. It is CAFF’s hope that the recent release of the Greater Bay Area Local Food Guide will build upon this work by empowering consumers to support their local producers, retailers, and restaurants.

Celebrating Sonoma County’s Gravenstein Apples By Liam Creighton

Before vineyards attained prominence, the agriculture of Sonoma County was

defined by apples, and one variety in particu-lar—the Gravenstein—a sweet-tart apple, well suited for pie and sauce making. The first recorded Gravenstein orchards were present in Fort Ross in 1820, and it is from here that the apple is presumed to have spread. It is esti-mated that by 1900 there were 16,000 acres of Gravenstein orchards in Sonoma County, most of them clustered around Sebastopol. The apple became a local icon, and still is today, even though apple production has slumped.

Many reasons have been suggested for the decline of the Graven-stein, but there are two major contributing factors. The commercial potential of wineries and viticulture has driven a surge in the price of Sonoma’s agricultural land. In such conditions it makes more financial sense to produce a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon than a pound of apples. The second major problem with Gravensteins is that super-markets look to stock apples that keep well in refrigeration and are resistant to bruising. The Gravenstein scores badly on both counts.

In order to boost the fortunes of the two dozen remaining Graven-

stein growers in Sonoma County and to keep alive the agricultural and gastronomic heritage of Sebastopol, CAFF has been working with Slow Food USA to develop a “Presidium” project to conserve and endorse the Graven-stein apple. Slow Food has organized over 400 Presidia around the world—most of them in Italy. Presidia are the “working arms” of Slow Food’s Ark of Taste—whose goal is to “save an economic, social, and cultural heritage.” The

Gravenstein was added to the Ark in 2005. Presidia foods highlight gastronomic heritage and biodiversity—along with excellent taste. Slow Food USA, the local Slow Food chapter of the Russian River, and CAFF are working together to form a Gravenstein Apple Presidium with funds raised by the Russian River chapter. CAFF has created mar-keting materials to promote the apple, including a brochure and logo. In collaboration with its partners and the growers, CAFF implemented a marketing plan that included a restaurant promotion program, a “Grav Box,” which featured the apples and processed apple products, and participated in the Sebastopol Gravenstein Apple Fair August 11 and 12. For more information contact [email protected].

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R E P O R T S F R O M T H E F I E L D F A L L 2 0 0 7

Lou Preston of Preston Vineyards, Dry Creek, Sonoma CountyBy Susan ImbodenOn a bright spring morning, Lou Preston had time to feed the fire in his bread oven and say a few words to the chickens. Then he was off to greet the tasting room guests who wander off Highway 101 near Healdsburg in Sonoma County, pass Dry Creek General Store, and arrive at Preston Vineyards.

Dry Creek Valley in the Russian River Basin has been home to fruit and grape growers since the 1850s. Lou and his wife, Susan, bought a 40-acre prune ranch there in 1973, at a time when grape-vines were beginning to replace fruit trees in the valley. They soon acquired neighboring ground that brought their holdings to 125 acres. You might even call them developers—as long as you under-stand that when Lou tells you about building, he’s talking about building the healthy soil, product diversity and sense of place at Preston Vineyards.

In the BeginningEarly on they focused on building their 100-acre vineyard. Two of the small ranches they acquired contained 100-year-old Zinfan-del blocks from which they developed other sites. “We not only restored those old vineyards,” Lou said, “but we propagated from them to re-establish that clonal identity in other vineyards.” They also converted their prune dehydrator to a winery that produced their first 1,000 gallons of Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc.

As they put down roots it was natural for Lou to fall in with long-established farmers who had a passion for sharing their culture and expertise. Neighbor Jim Guadagni, who knew the land from the back of a horse-drawn plow, taught Lou how to cultivate a vineyard, cure olives and dry walnuts in the old ways. “He taught me about self-sufficiency,” said Lou. “He personified the neighbor-hood-based attitude of can do, make do and get by.” Another area native, Americo Rafanelli, shared with Lou the Italian myths of Dry Creek. The quintessential family farmer, Americo grew grapes and vegetables and made his own wine. “Most importantly,” said Lou, “he knew how to enjoy what he made.”

Those early lessons in local culture deepened the Prestons’ roots and flavored the expansion of the family business. They built a new winery in the mid 1980s that produced 20,000 cases of a dozen or so varietals and blends and expanded their facilities to include a commercial kitchen and tasting room. The winery produced its last

Cabernet Sauvignon in 1989, as other grapes seemed to thrive better in the farm’s environment. Lou will talk about terroir if you ask, but simply put, it was a growing desire to stay true to the character of the land—to farm authentically—that motivated this change and shaped new projects.

Expanding the OperationThey planted imported Italian oil olive stock and constructed two outdoor bread ovens. The first, made

of clay and straw, was followed by a second one strengthened with horse manure, which seemed to work better. (A self-taught baker, Lou now bakes 150–200 loaves of sourdough each week in the kitchen’s brick oven.) And they built a second bocce ball court on the premises, an event that inspired the founding of the local tourna-ment, Gara di Bocce.

If this seems like a long day’s work, add wide-scale marketing to the mix. Serving as founding president of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley in 1990, Lou worked to bring the valley into the fold of nationally known wine-making regions. In what he calls his “middle period,” he and Susan travelled cross-country promoting the region and Preston’s new wines—Dry Chenin Blanc, Gamay Beaujolais, Syrah, and Muscat Canelli.

The seeds of change were sprouting, though, and growing into a philosophy that Lou explained this way: “Given a choice between the pursuit of economic gain and the husbandry of plants and family, I chose to give up those accumulated frequent flyer miles and return to the vineyards.”

Time for a ChangeSix years ago they reestablished Preston of Dry Creek (the name found on all of their product labels) as a family farm producing 8,000 cases of wine from some of their best sites. “We changed our product strategy from a market-driven product that would sell in Minneapolis or Hoboken to a product that suited our preferences and would please our customers here,” Lou explained. That’s also when they decided to make Preston a certified organic farm.

The decision to go organic stemmed initially from a concern about the potential effects—on both people and the environment—of using synthetic chemicals. They stopped using pesticides and herbicides in the early 1990s, but felt the vineyards weren’t as healthy as they could be. “We felt that we were being kind to the environment and the environment would reward us with very healthy vineyards. But that wasn’t the case,” said Lou. The challenge was to manage weeds and maintain soil nutrition while following organic principles.

Lou stands near a hedgerow along the vineyard that attracts beneficial insects to the vineyard.

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CAFF (530) 756-8518 6 Farmer to Farmer Fall 2007 CAFF (530) 756-8518 7 Farmer to Farmer Fall 2007

Feeding the SoilIn 2002 they dedicated themselves to the organic goal, embarking on a three-year transition process through which they met organics expert Bob Cantisano. Known as “Amigo Bob” to organic farmers, he works largely off the grid of university research, imparting hands-on experience and what Lou describes as “keen powers of observation.” Cantisano looked at the vineyards and said, “Lou, if you want to go organic, you’ve got to buy as much compost as you can afford and put it out all over your property.” They took his advice and purchased a mix of chicken manure, yard waste, and grape skins from Cold Creek Compost in Ukiah, applying six tons per acre. The visual effect was immediate, with pale foliage quickly turning a deep green.

But that was just the first step. Lou muses that building the soil with compost is like making sourdough bread: “It’s the starter that gets it going.” A cover crop is then needed to provide a source of food for important soil organisms.

After they pick the grapes, usually late September through October, they lightly disk the vineyards and apply the compost. Then they seed it with cover crops of beans, peas, vetch, and mustard, which grow a large volume of organic material that is tilled into the soil. Bacteria, earthworms and insects go to work to produce fertility for the plants.

A Very Beneficial HabitatBuilding soil fertility goes hand in hand with controlling leaf damage from hungry insects. And while Lou admits he’s not an entomologist, he knows the importance of keeping a balance between beneficial and pest insects in the vineyards, orchards and vegetable garden.

He also knows a farmer’s best shot at reaching that balance begins with gathering the experts. After importing ladybugs, which promptly flew away, he started thinking about how to create habitat that would be inviting to ladybugs and other beneficials. With guidance from CAFF staff members Sam Earnshaw and Keith Abeles (who is now part owner of Quetzal Farm in Sebastopol), he installed hedgerows along the vineyards. Together they selected a mix of plants for pol-len and nectar—yarrow, monkeyflower, pomegranate and California buckwheat, to name a few—to provide forage for the ladybugs, lacewings, wasps, and flies that eat the pests.

Lou has found that you pretty much get what you get when it comes to insects and last year was a good one for ladybugs. “We’d just begun to knock down some of the cover crop that we planted last fall,” he explained, “and you could walk through the vineyard and find incredible numbers of ladybug nymphs and larvae.”

Along the farm’s riparian corridor the hedgerows give way to larger trees and shrubs that provide shelter for critters of all sizes. Plantings of willow, Coast Live Oak, Bay Laurel, and other species along Pena Creek reduce soil erosion and provide shade for seasonal salmon and steelhead trout pools. Beneath the trees, a leafy understory of Toyon, Coffee Berry and California Wild Rose enhances wildlife habitat and increases shade. Circuit Rider Productions in nearby Windsor propagated and installed the more than 40 mostly native species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants that frame the farm and thrive there.

Mixing the Old with the NewAn old method for weed control suits Preston’s trellised vineyards and rounds out the organic program. Using a tractor, the vineyard workers tow a French plow along each row to till the soil between and under

the vines. It operates with a hydraulic ram that retracts when it hits a vineyard stake, moves around the stake, and resumes plowing. Using this method takes a lot of skill and Lou notes that if you’re lucky, you won’t rip out a vine. You can still buy French plows, although not many people use them.

Along with tried-and-true methods for running the farm, the Prestons are employing some of the newer technologies, too. All of the winery buildings and two irrigation systems are equipped to run on solar power. The 37-kilowatt system converts low-voltage direct current to alternating current, or AC, which is fed into the PG&E system. They’re still on the grid, so any power they generate and don’t use is sold to the utility. In addition, the night-time rates for electricity are lower, so they save money by operating at night when they can. And PG&E paid for about half of the installation cost.

The farm also cuts costs by using a biofuel to run some of their equipment and vehicles. Lou gathers waste vegetable oil, or WVO, from local restaurants. After the used oil is cooled, it is funneled back into its original four gallon containers. He then picks it up, lets it warm in the greenhouse to settle the solids and strains it for use as fuel. This arrangement is win-win, cutting down on the res-taurants’ recycling costs and reducing the amount of diesel exhaust going into the air at the farm.

Some of their vehicles and equipment run better on WVO than others. The Jetta is kind of finicky and one of the tractors doesn’t like it, but the old Mercedes does just fine. Lou explained that newer engines with fuel injection pumps don’t seem to tolerate it very well, adding, “Old and sloppy like me works best.”

Diverse Products, Diverse MarketsA California Certified Organic Farm since 2005, Preston Vineyards has traded its single-commodity mindset for one of diversity. It pro-duces wine, vegetables, chicken eggs, olive oil, cured olives, apples (u-pick), fermented pickles, vinegar, and sourdough bread to sell at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market and at the farm. They also offer customers a selection of books on food politics and bread-making.

Since they decided to focus on local markets, you no longer can find the Preston of Dry Creek label on supermarket wine racks. But you still can enjoy Preston wines at a few restaurants and buy them in Bay Area specialty shops. And you can place an order by internet or phone. (See www.prestonvineyards.com.) If you visit their tasting room, you’ll be treated to Susan’s mixed-media

Winery: Solar panels on the roof of the Preston Vineyards winery feed solar energy into a 37-kilowatt system that provides electricity for the winemaking operation. Other panels on the farm help run two irrigation systems.

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Preston Vineyards continued on bottom of page 8

Fall 2007 Farmer to Farmer 8 CAFF (530) 756-8518 www.caff.org Fall 2007 Agrarian Advocate 9

New Pest Control Methods Show Economic Promise for WalnutsBy Minghua Zhang, Associate Professor of Environmental & Resource Science, UC DavisCAFF collaborates on projects that have the potential to improve the economic success of family farmers and enhance the rural environment. Here is an update from one such project.

California walnut growers produce 99% of all walnuts grown in the United States, with an estimated crop value of $539 million in 2005. Currently most growers control economically important pests such as codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and walnut husk fly (Rhagoletis completa) with broad-spectrum organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides, which kill pests as well as beneficial organisms. Federal agencies are targeting these pesticides for greater restrictions or elimination due to health and environmental concerns. Several less toxic and less environmentally disruptive pest control alternatives are available, such as pheromone mating disruption, insect growth regula-tors, microbial controls, and biopesticides. However, growers have been hesitant to make use of these products, most likely due to higher material costs, increased number of applications required per season, lack of familiarity, and/or the risk of lower efficacy.

Kimberly Steinmann and Minghua Zhang of the Agricultural GIS Research Group at UC Davis are conducting an economic analysis of pheromone mating disruption in conjunction with lower risk alterna-tive products. With this method, growers spray a material containing a female codling moth pheromone throughout the orchard, confus-ing males and preventing them from mating. One of the potential

benefits of this approach is a reduction in secondary pest outbreaks that can follow applications of broad-spectrum materials.

The economic analysis uses data from San Joaquin County to look at the overall costs of pest management, given various pest manage-ment scenarios with different responses of pest and beneficial insect populations. The analysis shows that a high percentage of growers would find pheromone pest control to be of equivalent or lower cost than their current organophosphate– and/or pyrethroid–based pest controls. These results assume that biological control of secondary pests will be more effective with the less-toxic pest control methods. At low pheromone rates (five grams per acre), a range of 48–63% of growers would find the alternatives economically feasible if second-ary pest outbreak costs were eliminated through biological control. Similarly, 35–53% of growers would consider the low rate strategies feasible if the secondary pest outbreak costs were halved, while 21–36% of growers would find them feasible if secondary costs remained unchanged. With a full pheromone rate (ten grams/acre), 28–38% of growers would find the alternatives economically feasible if secondary pest control costs were eliminated, 17–27% if secondary costs were halved, and only 8–17% if secondary costs were unchanged.

These results are encouraging for the promotion of pheromone as a control for codling moth. The USDA’s NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Services) Environmental Quality Incentives Program is currently offering incentives to growers who use pheromone by agreeing to cover half of the cost. As economic risk is lowered, more growers will be able to transition to alternative controls, reducing environmental impact and moving toward increased sustainability.

2007 Cotton TourThe Sustainable Cotton Project will again hold its annual Cotton Tour from Fresno to Firebaugh, Thursday, October 18.To register contact Joy Noelle Paloutzian at [email protected]. Registration deadline is September 30.

of this is that the supply of water for development is based on the Urban Water Management Plan. If more water is needed for urban development than turns out to be available in the future, the histori-cal fight over water supplies between residential and agricultural use could raise its ugly head. Guess who usually loses that conflict?

The chapter has manned tables at a number of events this year, including the Farm Bureau’s Ag Education Days, a meeting on the Farm Bill, and a booth at the Health and Harmony Fair in Santa Rosa to publicize the Buy Fresh Buy Local Program. We have done our best to support that program after hoping for such a program here for many years. Our chapter membership has increased 11% this year, undoubtedly partly due to this exposure. There have been three chapter meetings this year.

At least two of our members are participating in CAFF’s efforts on behalf of Slow Food to stimulate interest in Graven-stein apples—one of the three heritage foods that Slow Food is promoting throughout the U.S. Fortunately there is a heavy crop of Gravensteins this year and Sonoma County growers are hoping

North Coast continued from page 4the Slow Food campaign will boost the price and demand for Gravenstein apples. This is much needed, as apple farming has been declining here for many years.

CAFF has obtained three grants for a Farm-to-School program in the North Coast over the past several years. Along with the efforts of other community organizations and educators, a new organiza-tion, North Coast Grown, was formed to distribute farm products to the schools. While an increased amount of local produce was fed to our schoolchildren from farmers in the districts, North Coast Grown disbanded its efforts. The problem was not lack of support by the schools, but too few farmers in the region willing to grow for the schools. In order to farm in Sonoma County and compete with grape growing and rural “starter castles” for land, farmers need the higher prices they get at farmers’ markets. Schools are unable to con-sistently pay these prices. The best fit seems to be when small-size or slightly blemished fruits and vegetables—that may not be suitable for retail or direct marketing—can be offered to the schools.

paintings and installation art, which put a playful spin on 100% Organic.

It seems to go without saying that there are plans for the future. Lou shared that he’s getting ready to bring a couple of goats and maybe some dall sheep onto the farm. He’s planted an acre of wheat to use in his bread-making and thinks the chickens will give him four dozen eggs a day before long. And so it goes.

Preston Vineyards continued from page 7

Fall 2007 Farmer to Farmer 8 CAFF (530) 756-8518 www.caff.org Fall 2007 Agrarian Advocate 9

California FarmLinkDedicated to the Next Generation of Farmers and Healthy Agricultural Land Use

By Kendra Johnson

It is the nature of all of us (even farmers!) to grow older, but when an industry or sector as a whole begins to

age—and if that sector is as important to society and landscape as agriculture—there is cause for grave concern. The average age of the California farmer is approaching 60—an age when most people would hope to retire soon. Why are there so few young farmers? High real-estate values due to urban and residential development pressure; the high-risk and low-return nature of most agricultural businesses; limited financing programs for new farm borrowers; and lack of knowledge about available options create formidable obstacles for beginning farmers hoping to enter agriculture in our state. California FarmLink provides a range of services to facilitate farm transition and the entry of new farmers into California agriculture.

• Linking: Using a database of hundreds of aspiring farmers, retiring farmers, and other landowners, California FarmLink introduces interested parties and helps facilitate lease and purchase agreements on farm and ranch lands. These agree-ments range from simple crop-share and cash leases to long-term leases, options to buy, owner-financed loans, and other creative purchase arrangements. They can also include planned transitions between an existing farmer or rancher and a younger party, whether within the family or unrelated.

• Training and technical assistance: Free assistance and referrals to professional consultants (often at subsidized rates) are available to help farmers with succession planning, real estate transactions, business planning, legal issues, and more.

• Farm finance and equity-building: In partnership with Califor-nia Coastal Rural Development Corporation, the Farm Oppor-tunities Loan Program is successfully helping farmers make the necessary investments in their farm businesses to either get off

the ground or improve their operations. Fair rates and guidance are offered for operating and infrastructure loans. FarmLink also spearheaded the nation’s first agricultural Individual Development Accounts (IDA), which match a qualifying farmer’s savings at a ratio of 3:1 for use in the farm business. No new IDA accounts are currently available, but the organization is working to secure federal funds for

expansion of this program in the future.

• Advocacy: California FarmLink has served as an advocate for beginning farmers since its inception in 1998,

and most recently has been actively urging the U.S. House of Repre-sentatives Agriculture Committee to include programs for beginning farmers in the 2007 Farm Bill. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act has been approved for funding by the Senate, and if it is accepted in negotiations with the House, we can look forward to a surge in the critical work of farm transitions, financial opportunities, training, and technical assistance for incoming youth in agriculture nationwide. Please contact your representatives to urge them to sup-port this important act! You can call or download a letter from the California FarmLink website: www.californiafarmlink.org.

If you own agricultural land and are concerned about its future, or if you are a beginning farmer looking for land, financing or other assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (707) 829-1691, or email info@california farmlink.org.

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An on-farm benefit for sustainable agriculture

Hoes DownHarvest Festival

Celebrate Rural Living

Saturday, October 6, 200711 a.m.–11 p.m.

Full Belly Farm in beautiful Capay Valley, California• Farmers’ Market • Craft Demonstrations• Farm tours • Farm Workshops• Children’s Area • Live Music & Dancing All Day!• Farm Animals • Tasty Organic Food & Drinks!

Information: (800) 791-2110 www.hoesdown.org

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Humbolt Local Food Month: September 2007 Celebrating the County’s Local Farms, Local Producers and Local AbundanceEvent Location Date Time

The Revolution will not be Microwaved! WorkshopLearn how the corporate food system hurts our families and the environment, and how we can build a democratic, local food system for Humboldt County—Free!

Redwood Roots Farm, BaysideContact Democracy Unlimited (707) 269-0984, www.duhc.org

9/8Saturday

1-4 pm

Calendar Release PartyLaunching the 2008 Farm-to-Table Calendar. Purchase of calendar buys you admission—just $15!

Avalon RestaurantThird & G, EurekaContact CAFF (707) 444-3255

9/9Sunday

4 pm

Family Farm FieldtripCome for a fun filled farm tour for the whole family—Free!

Arcata Educational Farm, ArcataContact (707) 825-1777

9/16Sunday

12–1 pm

Peak Oil Action Group 250-Mile Diet PotluckBring a dish to celebrate the bounty of our farmers and local food—Free!

Bayside Grange, BaysideContact [email protected]

9/19Wednesday

6:30 pm

Southern Humboldt Economic Localization,100-Mile Diet PotluckBring a dish made with local ingredients to share. SHEL’s quarterly meeting to follow—Free!

Tooby Community Park Farm, GarbervilleContact (707) 923-2636

9/19Wednesday

6 pm

The Taste of Willow CreekTour wineries and farms for a taste of local produce, wine and art. Tickets $20 advance/ $25 that day, see website for dinner costs and details

Willow CreekContact (530) 629-3488studio299.tripod.com

9/23Sunday

11 am–4 pm5 pm Dinner

Taste of Place Gourmet Garden DinnerEnjoy the best of Humboldt’s local abundance. Tickets $50 advance, two for $85, or after 9/15 $65, $100

Redwood Roots Farm, BaysideContact CAFF (707) 444-3255

9/30Sunday

4–8 pm

illness through cross-contamination. The processing of pre-cut produce in bagged salad increases the risk of bacterial contamination by cutting the leafy greens, opening pathways for contaminants. The sealed plastic bags which the salads are shipped in may be an ideal environment for bacterial growth if the temperature rises at any point between the processing plant and the consumer’s plate.

Because a very large majority of the E. coli 0157:H7 contamina-tion in leafy greens has occurred in the bagged industrial product, we believe that the leafy green agricultural rules should focus on those growers that grow for the processed bagged salad industry, not on growers who provide a variety of leafy greens for the fresh market. Currently, the rules are voluntary, so most fresh market growers do not need to comply. However, the leafy greens industry’s leading representatives sit on a board that enacts the rules and they hope to make these rules mandatory for all handlers and hence all farmers of leafy greens.

There is increasing pressure to follow these rules. The board enact-ing the rules is giving “safety seals” to handlers to show that they buy from farmers complying with the rules. A handler is anyone other than the grower who handles, processes, ships, or distributes leafy greens, but does not include retailers, restaurants, food services, or consumers. Any handler who signs onto the rules is subject to “rule” audits, as are all the growers they buy from. Canada says they will not import any leafy greens without this seal.

Food Safety continued from page 1 The rules indirectly discourage some biological practices common in organic and sustainable agriculture, such as the use of biofertil-izers and fish emulsion, though neither has been implicated in a food safety outbreak. If farmers using these practices want to comply with the rules, they would need to do more testing and paperwork than those farms that don’t use such methods. But there is no scientific basis for the extra work. Consequently, biological farming methods that promote healthy soils and plants become a burden. Studies show that in healthy soils, food-contaminating pathogens have to compete with other microbes and are less likely to thrive. By discouraging these biological practices, the rules may be reducing natural controls for pathogens and actually making the food less safe.

CAFF’s Family Farm Food Safety Campaign is working to prevent these rules from becoming mandatory for all leafy green producers, limiting the scope to the processed bagged salad industry. While all growers should use safe farming practices, the “one size fits all” approach of the rules does not work for all farms. CAFF believes that appropriate food safety measures for all sizes of farms should be devel-oped in cooperation with university researchers. Many researchers say that a definitive understanding of how such contamination occurs is still several years away. CAFF’s Family Farm Food Safety Campaign seeks to maintain a local distribution system so that small and mid-size farms can continue to produce a variety of leafy greens for stores, restaurants, and fresh markets. We urgently need your help. To find out more, visit CAFF’s website, www.caff.org and click on the Family Farm Food Safety Campaign button on the home page.


How to get CAFF’s Central Coast Local Food Guide:• Visit www.buylocalca.org to download the PDF

• Pick one up at the Watsonville office at 406 Main Street, Suite 406, Wat-sonville, California, 95076

• Call the Watsonville office at (831) 761-8507 to find out which participat-ing retailers and restaurateurs are carrying the guide

Policy Update continued from page 12

• Impose liability for crop contamination on the GMO manufacturer.

• Require users of GMOs to notify their county agricultural commissioner before planting.

• Limit the use of pharmaceutical GMOs in food and feed crops to indoor plantings.

Despite broad support, including one of the largest rice millers on the West Coast, AB 541 faced vigorous opposition from the biotech industry, the California Farm Bureau and other farm organizations. As a result the bill did not have the votes to move out of the Assembly Agri-culture Committee. CAFF and other sponsors will work with Assemblyman Huffman and the bill’s opponents in the Fall to search for issues on which agreement can be reached. The bill must pass the committee and the full Assembly by the end of January 2008.

Farm-to-SchoolFor the second year, the Assembly Appropriations Committee has refused to pass a bill to establish a statewide Farm-to-School program that would assist school districts and local farmers in establishing farm-to-school programs in local schools. Despite the popularity of Farm-to-School as a concept, the bill appears to be burdened with the misconception that it duplicates the Governor’s Fresh Start program.

Fresh Start increases the per meal reimbursement by ten cents for schools that increase their servings of fruits and vegetables. The program, however, is limited only to the federal school breakfast program and requires annual cash infusions to continue. A statewide Farm-to-School program, by contrast, would provide “seed funding” to schools to establish a program that would work with local farmers to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in school lunches as well as breakfasts. It depends on one-time grants to schools, not ongoing meal subsidies.

Farm-to-School supporters plan to brief the Appro-priations Committee staff on the Chinese proverb of the difference between giving someone a fish and teaching them to fish.

Industrial HempOn a brighter note, Assemblyman Mark Leno has suc-cessfully steered his AB 684 through difficult commit-tees in both houses and is poised to put an industrial hemp bill on the Governor’s desk again in 2007. Like last year’s bill, which the Governor vetoed, AB 684 clarifies the legal distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana, thereby allowing California farmers to grow the multipurpose crop. The bill is supported by a large number of sustainable agriculture organizations and businesses that sell or manufacture hemp products, as well as the Imperial County Farm Bureau.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

P A I DPermit No. 25Auburn, CACommunity Alliance with Family Farmers

P.O. Box 363Davis, CA 95617

12 Agrarian Advocate Fall 2007 www.caff.org

With the Florez bills dead for the year, the voluntary GAP mea-sures will be the main guidelines for leafy green growers, although there also are concerns about grocery retailers and distributors unilaterally imposing requirements on contracted growers that go beyond the GAP measures and can have significant economic and environmental impacts on farmers and their land. CAFF has hired a Family Farm Food Safety Coordinator, Kira Pascoe, to ensure it remains actively involved in all aspects of this important issue. For more information about the Family Farm Food Safety Campaign, see Kira’s article on page 1.

Genetically Modified OrganismsThe Assembly Agriculture Committee was a graveyard in 2007 for other bills as well, most notably AB 541 (Huffman). Last year, CAFF and numerous allies turned back the agricultural biotech industry’s attempt to preempt local citizens from regulating the use of GMOs in their counties (again a bill by Senator Florez). This year a coalition of environmental, faith and sustainable agriculture organizations, including CAFF, sponsored AB 541, which would have done several things:

• Shield innocent farmers from liability for unknowingly possess-ing a patented GMO that has contaminated his or her crop.

Three food safety bills introduced by Senator Dean Florez (D- Shafter) were held in the Assembly Agriculture Committee

without a hearing on June 27. Florez introduced SB 200, 201 and 202 in the wake of the E. coli discovery in leafy greens last fall. He chose to keep the bills in the Ag Committee when it became clear the bills would not pass. Because this is the first year of a two-year legislative session, the bills may be heard anytime next year by the committee.

CAFF opposed SB 201, which would have required growers to conduct extensive tests on their soil, water and leafy green vegetables and document a number of activities on their farms. CAFF took an “oppose unless amended” position on SB 200 and 202. SB 200 con-ferred very broad recall and quarantine authority on the Department of Public Health and required vegetable growers to be licensed by the state, while SB 202 required growers, processors and handlers of leafy greens to establish a traceback system.

CAFF’s concerns with the bills were numerous. The bills’ regula-tory structure focused almost exclusively on growers of leafy green vegetables, even though farmers have little or no control over off-farm sources of E. coli. Like the voluntary Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), the bills tried to address all possible on-farm sources of bacteria contamination instead of focusing on the most likely sources. And the costs of compliance with the regulatory scheme would have placed disproportionate burdens on small family farmers. Policy Update continued on page 11

California Food & Farming Policy Updateby Pete Price

Contents Fall 2007Agrarian Advocate

Food Safety Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Farm to Institution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

CAFF CORNER Put Your Hoes Down . . . . . . 2

California Farm Festivals . . . . . . . . . . . 3

North Coast Chapter Update . . . . . . . . . 4

Highlight on Sonoma County . . . . . . . . . 5

Gravenstein Apples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

California Farmlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Local Food Month Events . . . . . . . . . . 10

Policy Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Farmer to FarmerFARMER PROFILE: Preston Vineyards . . . . . . 6

Pest Control Methods for Walnuts . . . . . . . 8

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